Boyd Books

urban ledgends dictonary is the best i've wanted one ever since i was a kid, im a major supernatural and unexplained mysteries junkie it is great

It's amazing to me how the "READERS" who were expecting to read a "BOOK" didn't bother to READ the description which clearly states that it is presented in a "comic strip format by a stunning variety of artists drawn from the comics mainstream." And that's the best case scenario. I would hate to think they were in a book store and bought it RIGHT OFF THE SHELF WITHOUT FLIPPING THROUGH IT FIRST.

That being said, it's an excellent book for those who appreciate good storytelling through sequential art. Enjoy!

I've had this book for years and years, and it's dog-eared and stained from being read so many times. I can't count the number of times some gullible sucker has tried to pass off some urban legend as the truth; I just pull out this book and prove them wrong.

Unlike the popular urban legend website Snopes, this book makes no attempt to prove or disprove the legends, but just presents them in black-and-white comic form, drawn by many different artists in many different styles - some realistic, some cartoonish; some with dialogue and some without; some graphic in their depictions and some subtle. The variety is excellent and makes each new page a discovery.

This is a book I will enjoy for many years to come. I only wish there was a second volume, because there are more than enough urban legends out there to create one.

I have read a few similar books to this one such as the Darwin Awards trilogy and can say without doubt this is a lot better and funnier. This urban legend collection is also in a different format to the other collections in that every tale is presented as a one or two page comic book strip which adds imagery to the tale. To be honest the artist's imagery is not always as good as your imagination would have been without it though. There are two hundred stories in here, some you will have undoubtedly heard before or maybe slightly different versions of the same basic tale but there will also be a lot you will be unlikely to have come across in the past. Even the big multinational company urban myths are in here too which I thought would have been left out due to legal reasons but no they are here for you to read and laugh at. There are some myths not covered in this collection but how big would this book be if everything was in here? This is a great collection which will entertain you and probably leave you searching for similar books after. Enjoy!

This is the first book in Paradox Press's "Big Book of" series, and it's also the best (they are all worth reading, though).

Written by the most knowledgable -- and funniest -- expert on urban folklore, Jan Harold Brunvand, "The Big Book of Urban Legends" is a treasure trove of too-good-to-be-true stores. The artwork, by a crowd of comic book artists, is great too.

This is one of those books you'll keep re-reading, over and over. It's that good. Trust me.

Am I the only one bothered by the mathematical innacuracies in this book? Does anyone else notice at the end when the bug is counting up his new friends, HE INCLUDES HIMSELF IN THE COUNT! Does he have multiple personalities? And is breaking and entering really behavior we want to encourage for children - these so-called new friends are as bad as Goldilocks in that regard. Not to mention the burglary. Now, when they're tippy-toeing on fourteen feet, the author is obviously basing this on the fact that there are seven of them, and they're all on their hind feet. But pigs don't have feet - they have hooves. Doesn't seem to have bothered my kids, because they all love the book.

I now have this book memorized and my 19-month old daughter yells out the last word of each line. It is her absolute favorite and she requests it daily. It's a fun book!

We adore this book in our household! The illustrations and the humor and cadence of the book are phenominal! Our absolute favorite, it's read practically every night!

How adorable is this little book? It's a great introduction to reading, both in phonics and comprehension, and the brightly cclored illustrations are to die for! Such a cute story with cute characters and the cutest ending that anyone could ever hope for. I hope my review is as adorable as this book was.

Probably my daughter's favorite book! The rhyme is adorable. The animals are too cute. The illustrations and writing are just the best!

I applaud the point of this book, which is to look at a life from its early optimism and grand expectations to the realization of mediocrity and failure to ultimate acceptance. My problems with these fictional diaries of Uruguayan-born and English-raised Logan Monstuart are twofold: they don't read like actual diaries, even those of a writer, and there is a sense of literary pretentiousness that prevented me from warming to the protagonist, even while I admired his honesty and beautiful prose.

Without resorting to too many spoilers, I'll just say that the best part of this novel is the second portion, which chronicles Monstuart's years at English boarding school and then university. This part doesn't read like what you would expect to find in the diary of a teenager and a young twenty-something man (what teenager, even one who wants to be a writer, has the time or the inclination to spell out everything he does in full words and perfectly grammatical sentences?), but the experiences felt entirely real and the relationship that Monstuart had with his two best friends, Peter Scabius and Ben Leeping (which continue for the length of the book) were wonderful. Their comraderie, their jealousies, their prospects, their escapades, their early attempts at meeting girls -- all are richly detailed and riveting in their sheer ordinariness. You really end up remembering what it was like to be young and excited about the life in front of you.

Where this book starts to go off track is during Montstuart's narrative about his life during World War II. While it's refreshing in a way not to have another depressing account of life in wartime England, Montstuart is so far from the action and doing so little that the book just drags. Even as a commentary on how life can start to go off track, the section just isn't remarkable, except for the very end, when something finally does happen to Monstuart. But it's still so far removed from all the drama of the war that it ends up being a disappointing section and when Monstuart gets back to post-wartime England, we really get almost no sense of what it was like. And I can barely remember anything about the following section, in which Montstuart moves to and lives in New York, even though I just read it this week. As best I can recall, it contains a lot of Monstuart's thoughts about American artists of the 1950's -- some artistic pretentiousness to go with the literary analyses found elsewhere in the book. If you're into the art and literature of the early and mid-20th century you might find these parts interesting, but Monstuart's analytical nature kept me from caring about him or even disliking him. It just kept me away from him, period. The only remarkable thing about this section is, once again, how Monstuart leaves it.

The portion of the novel set in Nigeria is one of the better portions. I was really young when the problems in Biafra happened, and I thought the book was educational on this point and brought part of Africa alive for me, something that Boyd manages not to do with most of the locales in the middle of the book. He improves toward the very end of the book, when Montstuart is an old man, and we start to get a real sense of who he has become and which relationships in his life have been and are meaningful to him.

Overall I really liked watching one life unfold, from an idyllic childhood to a hopeful young adulthood to a sidetracked and disappointed adulthood to an old age marred by impecunity and death, and finally mellowed by some sort of wisdom and grace. I just wished I could have felt a little bit more for Logan Monstuart, one way or another. He was just kind of there. Maybe that was the point. Worth reading, but not one to get wildly excited about.

I found this book really hard going for the first few chapter. Ah typical male attitude I thought but I was determined not to let it get the better of me. So I persisted and now I am so pleased...... It was one of the best descriptions of old age I have ever read. His enjoyment of the simple life in France was so real (particulary after the dog food section) His power of description so real that I felt I was there with him in his piece of heaven. I cannot believe he wasnt a real character.... I feel I got to know Logan Montstuart and now he's gone..... excellent read. Stick at it....

i really enjoyed th characters interactions with 20th century icons such as picasso also the gradually maturimg voice of the narrator..not to mention his various adventures.

Written in diary form, this novel describes the life and times of Logan Gonzago Mountstuart, born in 1906 in Montevideo to an English father and his Uruguayan wife, who later moves with his family to England just before the First World War, and takes the reader from the 1920s to the 1990s.

This is an incredible, thoroughly engaging novel which gives the reader entree into the ups and downs, the fullness of a man's life who travelled widely and knew many of the literary, social and artistic notables of the century (e.g. Picasso, Virginia Wolff, Hemingway, and Jackson Pollack). I enjoyed this book so much I almost hated for it to end!

I suspect my expectations are the problem here... because so many others seem to like this novel. But having read, and thoroughly enjoyed Boyd's "Restless," and reading the good reviews on "Any Human Heart," I purchased the psuedo- autobiography hoping to be equally enthralled. I found the format too choppy, and the more I learned about the main character, the less I cared about him and his future entries. So many historic names are dropped, and then the story lines involving them are also dropped, leaving the reader in limbo. Finally, about three-quarters of the way through this novel I started skimming ahead, learned how he died and finally, laid this novel to rest. I plan to try one of Boyd's other novels in hopes of finding another read as compelling as "Restless."

I read Twisted after reading the sequel, More Twisted. I was not disappointed. If you like the short story format, these little books are highly recommended.

As a voracious reader, I decided to try short stories to read in bed each night. This collection of short stories - all by Jeffery Deaver - was BETTER than Christmas in October!!!

Each story was a gem all by itself. Each one had a special "twist" to it - hence the name of the book!!!

In many cases I found myself rereading the story after I'd finished it, in light of the ending, to see where I could have missed the point of the story!!

A wonderful read. I can't recommend this collection of stories enough! Even if you HATE short stories, I'll just bet you will love these stories.

The short story format isn't very popular these days, with the exception of contributions to "Ellery Queen" and "Alfred Hitchcock's Mysteries" magazines, both of whom published these stories before they were collected for this book.
Deaver is a master of crime novels, with beaucoups of books under his belt, the most famous being the Lincoln Rhyme series, who makes an appearance in a Christmas twisted tale here.
Of course, the catch is to try to figure out the classic whodunnit, but Deaver doesn't make it easy. He isn't afraid to leave out certain clues or mislead us far away from the actual crime. Indeed, as he states in his forward to the sequel "More Twisted", which is just as good, he revels in the magician's tactics of making you watch the left hand while the right hand does all the dirty work.
Some characters get what they have coming to them, most don't, but it's still a great read because Deaver does his research homework brilliantly. He is one of the smartest writers out there, and could be a forensics expert or a detective as good as his character Lincoln Rhyme. But his imagination is his trump card, and the stories hold up well after repeated visits because of it.
I compare this work to the ultra-classic short story compilation of Kurt Vonnegut's, "Welcome To The Monkey House". While Vonnegut didn't do much crime stories as such, if any, he did have a vivid eye for detail and character development, which Deaver also possesses.
Short stories could become a lost art, but as long as Deaver can keep us interested, it still survives.

This book was absolutely fantastic. It left me breathless and longing for more. The stories were intricately plotted and no matter how hard I tried, I could never guess the outcome.

What I loved best was that it was a collection of short stories. I could, in my down time, read a story and then get on with my day. Or, if I am in the middle of a book which I am laboring to get through (will never leave a book unfinished), I can pick up this book to get me all excited and motivated again.

Again, this book is a wonderful book. Well done Mr. Deaver.

Unfortunately, the main flaw of this book is that most of the stories are nearly identical. I'd say that 75% of them deal with a husband or wife planning to kill their spouse, and then the tables get turned and the good guy ends up being the bad guy. Also, the characters from each story are so similar that they all blend together. They're all middle-class suburban WASPs without much personality, and no real reason to care about any of them. The stories themselves aren't bad, but they sure aren't great, either. There are one or two stand-outs which truly did surprise me at the end, but with the other stories I found myself either knowing the plot twist long in advance or just not caring about what happened to any of the characters. This is one of those so-so books which you can read on the plane or at the beach and then forget about.

This book is essentially true to its title of the Art of Outdoor Photography as opposed to the science of... The author offers a lucid and accessible narrative which could generate insight for beginner or intermediate photographers. However, I felt that many of the pictures in the book were quite frankly not impressive or inspiring. It is almost as if he was only willing to part with those that he didn't want to sell elsewhere. Could be useful as part of a larger collection of books on this subject but look elsewhere for stunning photographs.

Great book that teaches a lot about "outdoor photography". Equipment, interesting technigues, locations, and many other topics are explained with many examples. I am mostly interested in landscape photography and found many advices very usefull. Highly recomended.

This is the most helpful photo book I have ever seen! The illustrations are superb, with helpful captions. Moreover, it's good for beginning levels despite what the subtitle says. I highly recommend it. Worth every penny. Also a great gift for other photographer friends.

Absolutely amazing!! This is one of the BEST photography books out there. I have bought many books on photography, but this one has absolutely captivated me. Have you ever been ever been awestruck by some lovely outdoor scenery, taken pictures of that landscape , got the film developed and printed shook your head in bewilderment and said "what the heck happened?". All the things that captured your heart and soul are still there in the picture, but it does not have the same impact? If this has happened to you, this book will tell you why.

Don't walk, run. Go buy the book!

The sub-title of the book says "Techniques for the Advanced Amateur and Professional." Hardly. This is simply one of many generalist photography books geared to beginners and "non-advanced" amateurs. Don't expect to find anything that isn't in dozens of similar books. The photos are average, and aren't helped by the lacklustre quality of the printing.

One of the great pleasures of reading classic English mysteries is the indulgence of a gentle nostalgia for a bygone world. In defiance, perhaps, of the changes presaged by the First War and brought about by the Second, they represent an England that is still predominantly rural, held together by custom and civility, and where everybody understands his or her place in the social order. Nowhere is this more true than with BRAT FARRAR, published by Josephine Tey (Elizabeth MacKintosh) in 1949, but harking back to a vision of country life that has extended for centuries before that. The whole book reads like a celebration of England in an eternal summer.

The setting is Latchetts, an old horse farm in the South Downs, near the English coast. The farm has been owned by the Ashby family for generations. But the Ashby parents are dead, and Simon, the eldest of the younger generation, is shortly about to come of age. There had been a slightly older twin brother, Patrick, but he disappeared in his early teens, apparently drowned in the sea, whether by accident or suicide; the body was never found and nobody is sure of the true story. Into this walks Simon's virtual double, a young man from America now going under the name of Brat Farrar, but claiming his inheritance as Patrick. He has a plausible story, he has a natural gift with horses, and he has great personal charm; it is not long before he is accepted by virtually everybody.

But -- and this is the really daring thing -- the reader is told, long before Brat appears at Latchetts, that the claimant is an impostor, coached by an unscrupulous neighbor who hopes to share in the inheritance. By the third chapter, the author has not only taken away the mystery, but moved the story into a place from which no graceful exit seems possible. By this time, however, the reader has come to take such delight in the life of Latchetts and its people and the Sussex countryside that he reads on regardless. And the author does produce some mystery and quite a bit of danger out of nowhere; this is the most absorbing, fully-realized, and exciting Tey novel of the four that I have read. The book also turns, most unexpectedly, into a romance, but a romance with strange incestuous overtones since it involves the growing feeling between a young woman and a man whom she believes to be her brother. Naturally, the book does not have an easy or obvious ending, but it is a satisfying one. It is amazing that Tey can extract herself from the narrative and erotic morass with the delicacy that she does, but that is a tribute to her remarkable powers as a writer, here seen at their very best.

[The reader may wish to see my rather longer review of a collection of Tey novels published as THREE BY TEY, from which the above remarks are taken.]

This was this first book I puchased with my own money at age 12 and I have read and reread it for almost 50 years. The story and the writing stand up to both time and a more critical taste. Characters are beautifully drawn and the mystery never palls. The other books by Miss Tey are old favorites as well,paricularly The Murders of Richard III. They are perhaps better appreciated by adults, but for good writing for young readers, I always suggest Brat Farrar. Besides, who can resist the horses!

Brat Farrer is an English orphan who, after much travel, has decided to come back to England. He is soon mistaken for Simon Ashby of Latchetts by Alec Loding, a cousin of the Ashbys. Brat is talked into impersonating Patrick Ashby, Simon's older twin who allegedly committed suicide when they were ten. Now about to come of age and inherit Latchetts, the plan is for Brat to claim Patrick's inheritance and provide Alec with a lifetime allowance as reward. What Brat doesn't expect is to care so much for the family and, more than fearing his fraud being uncovered, he is in fear of his life.

It has been 30 years since I first read this book and I'd forgotten just how good it is. The story starts off gently at the first sentence. I immediately find myself caught up in the lives of the characters and environment Ms. Tey created. Soon the suspense begins to build and I can't put the book down. Even after the climax of the story, I am still kept in suspense until, at last, Ms. Tey kindly provides me with the resolution. I particularly wish other authors would take note that this completely enjoyable, engrossing and suspenseful story took only 276 pages to tell. If you've never read Brat Farrer or, as with me, it's been a long time, treat yourself and pick it up. Also, for the Dick Francis fans, it not only has horses, but a somewhat similar feel in its style. It was, as my British acquaintances say, brilliant!

Brat Farrar does what a good book is supposed to do. It draws you into a world you'll never be able to experience first hand. I've never been a fan of horses and all that goes with them but with this novel I gained an appreciation and some knowledge of the pleasures of owning a horse farm. It's so difficult to find a novel you "don't want to put down", I'm so glad I bought and read this one. The mystery here is not "who dunnit" or why it was done but how the main character Brat works his way out of the snare he walked into.

This is basically a wonderful period novel with an embedded mystery--with an overview of what might have been a mystery immediately revealed. But, the devil is in the details--providing accelerating suspense & an opportunity for Tey to again excel in her characterizations, dialog, descriptions of English life, etc. I am torn between a 4 & 5 star rating, but the explanation of the details at the end seems a bit thin. On the other hand, similar to "Miss Pym Disposes," the main character is faced with moral dilemma & the opportunity to play God--but this time acts differently. Assumptions are the delight of mystery authors! The interplay of the twin brothers is absorbing & the dichotomy between the twin sisters is interesting. Most of the characters are delightful--even the duplicitous Farrar. I wondered how Tey would manage the ending relationship with Eleanor--& she did it. The ending, as usual for a Tey, was explosive & (at least to a degree) unexpected. Again similar to "Miss Pym," we are given "incontrovertible proof" that's proven wrong. As Tey says herein, "If you thought about the unthinkable long enough it became quite reasonable."

I really liked "Passion", so I was eager to read this. I would have liked some steamy sex in it....but, hey whaddya gonna do? I still read it in 2 nights!

This is a very good book. I have purchased this as a gift for my daughter. She loves Donna Boyd's writing.

The author, Donna Boyd, is to werewolves what Anne Rice is to vampires. With her lyrical use of language and her deeply sensuous imagery, the author contines the tale that she began in her first book, "The Passion". It is a tale of a subculture of wealthy, urbane, highly intelligent, well educated and charismatic werewolves who live amonst humans unbeknownst to them. They are the movers and shakers of society, the quintessential beautiful people. In this manner, they informally and secretly rule humans, directing our world peacably and enriching it. These shape shifting, sensuous creatures are truly benevolent rulers and are led by a member of the aristocratic Devoncroix clan. When their leader, Alexander Devoncroix, dies, their son, Nicholas, must now lead the pack. He is hellbent, however, on changing that benevolent philosophy.

When Nicholas is critically injured in a plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness, he is found in his wolf form, battered, burned, and bloody, by a reclusive scientist, Hannah Braselton North, who has an affinity for wolves and treats his wounds in her small cabin. Having pulled from the wreckage a diary, she hunkers down to read it, while her "patient" recuperates. What she reads is the ostensible memoir of someone named Matise Devoncroix. It is an erotic and sensuos tale tale of star crossed lovers who are members of a race of werewolves who live secretly amonst humans. Drawn into the tale, and at first imagining it to be fiction, she soon realizes that this is no mere tale but a revelation that is somehow connected to her mysterious "patient".

Beautifully written and suspenseful, the book, a story within a story, is riveting and will keep the reader turning the pages. It is an excellent sequel to her first book, "The Passion". While not absolutely necessary, it is recommended that one first read "The Passion", as it will undoubtedly enhance the pleasure of reading "The Promise".

This book was a disappointment in the wake of The Passion. And if there is not to be another book, then it also failed to bring closure to what began as a very interesting family saga and war between species.

THE PASSION made me cry for the characters, love them, and hate them (see review). And though I read THE PROMISE straight through, it was often with a sense of confusion rather than a wistful absorption with the story. I think I hoped the story would surprise me and eventually draw me in, in the manner of its predecessor.

THE PROMISE was supposed to explain to me what had happened as a result of the monumental choices and loss set forth in THE PASSION, however I think the significance of a possible peacemaker was as lost to the reader as it nearly was to the ascending leader of the werewolves (who, I must say was quite simple for someone who had supposedly been exposed to so much in his life).

THE PROMISE took a great deal of time setting out the lives of what I expected to be two great friends, who turned out to be something much more tragic...and strange than friends to one another. But I did not end up loving the main characters, Matise and Brianna. I cannot say for sure whether it was just that I never could see them fully in my mind's eye; or if what I did see, I simply did not like, empathize with, pity, and support.

The writing was also full of the expected descriptions of wolves and struck me as unimaginative overall. This book was saturated with werewolf substitutions into known myths, stories and real history, which were too easy to be clever. I would have been happier to have a fuller world created from Donna Boyd's imagination than to read pages and pages about how werewolves built Egypt and Rome.

The ends were left untied, but not in a way that inspired hope in this reader. The result was an unsatisfying confusion that left me flailing as I closed the book.

It Was A Cheaply Purchased Werewolf History That Did Not Get Me In The Gut.

The Promise is a book that I wasnt expecting. I read its companion book "The Passion" A while ago and it was not at all what I thought it would be, so I guess I shouldnt have been surprised that Donna Boyd tricked me again...her stories are never predictable. The woman can defintely write. Her style and imagination are brilliant. Going into this book, I expected one thing but, what I got was something all together different. I read the back of the jacket and I loved the description and really wanted a relationship to form between Nicholas and Hannah...I was somewhat disappointed when the book went in an entirely different direction. The Promise is written with two separate stories that sort of parallel each other. I did enjoy reading The Promise, but I felt like it left me unsatisfied. A happy ending is not what you can expect from Boyd..I should have learned that after reading The Passion. Still, this was an interesting read. Im glad to have read it and will definitely keep my eyes peeled for more of this authors work.

Summary: A poor, barefoot, little girl is sent out on New Year's Eve to sell matches. As the cold and hungry girl awaits a sell, she lights the matches to keep warm. With the matches lit, illusions occur. As with all illusions, the light goes out on them and the little girl is faced with a grim reality.
The classic author depicts a memorable theme. The setting the author uses is intricately depicted giving the reader an almost live impression of the book's reality. As the character leaves reality and passes into fantasy, the author further impresses the setting with careful detail. The time of "New Year" stabs at the reader's soul with their own memories of Christmas.
The movie is equally wonderful.~The Tales of Hans Christian Andersen (The Red Shoes / The Little Match Girl)

Book was sent in great condition and in a timely manner. I would use the service again.

I first saw this story as a cartoon on tv. It made me cry a lot. It's a very sad story. However, it has a very powerful messages in terms of love, care, poverty, cruelty and dreams. I gave an assignment to my ELD students in high school and some students even told me how touchy the story was. I love the pictures in this book. It's really creative. Overall it's a great, sad story for all ages.

I want to agree with another reviewer that the meaning of the book for me was to look within for our own rich resources. That we can transform our own world if we transform our minds. The young girl used her imagination to picture herself out of the situation until it happened. Law of Attraction? Maybe from today's perspective. I just took it to mean that in this time in my life I have to go within to transform my own situation. God knows, I tried everything else :)

I was read the Spanish version "La Pequena Vendedora de Fosforos."

This is one of my favorite stories to hear at Christmas-time. It really reminds you to be thankful of all that you have. My grandmother read this story to all of her grandchildren every year on Christmas Day. This story holds fond memories for me. Since she is no longer here to read the story to us, and now all of the grandchildren are adults, I wanted to have a copy of the story so that when I have children one day, I can read it to them. I want to carry on the tradition.

What Christopher Marlowe has created in Doctor Faustus is nothing short of spectacular. The choices Dr. Faustus makes are reminiscent of choices wwe all must face in life: A life of materialistic gains and self or the everlasting peace of salvation? Dr. Faustus finds himself wanting more in life, he seeks the answer to mankinds oldest equivocation: the purpose of mankind. Like a Greek tragedy, he makes a deal with Hades who offers Dr. Faustus ultimate knowledge. But making a deal with Hades is always unwise. After learning that ultimately, pain and suffering is all mankind will ever know, his soul is condemned to Tartarus. This is a chilling tale with moments of humor to release the tension of the story.

Editor of the highly recommended novel: Fates by Georgiou Tino: Best of 2008

By his untimely death at 29 Christopher Marlowe had written this and other plays (including The Jew of Malta) which inspired a beginning William Shakespeare to sharpen his craft.

Though the version we have was not recorded until about a decade after Marlowe's death (and therefore shows signs of later adulterations by other writers) you can still observe the genius of Marlowe at work.

The plot of this play is about a well-learnt man, Dr. Faustus, who believing that he has attained all the knowledge there is to learn (knowledge beyond the point of 'this far and no further'), turns to magic.

During one of his rituals he calls upon the underworld to aid him - Mephistopheles duly comes to Faustus' beckoning as any good demon would in their relentless search for souls; however Faustus, in his naive pride, believes that Mephistopheles is there as a result of his conjuring - demons are at his beck and call!

Mephistopheles plays it whatever way Faustus wants it, to ensure capturing his soul. They strike a pact - 24 glorious years of fame and fortune for Faustus, with Mephistopheles as his servant, after which his soul belongs to Lucifer. To make the contract binding Faustus writes out the pact and signs in blood. However, Mephistopheles is portrayed as a figure of sorrow and tries to warn Faustus about what he is getting himself into. But Faustus is unreceptive to the truth and ignores Mephistopheles' warning.

There is the good and bad angel that appear to Dr. Faustus several times. The good angel repeats over and over to Dr. Faustus that he can repent at any time and come back into good graces, while the bad angel keeps on telling him it's too late. The bad angel prevails.

A number of scenes are depicted - the main one being at the Vatican. Faustus is invisible and steals food and wine from under the Pope's nose, followed by putting to sleep a couple of Cardinals and stealing their clothes, and he frees Bruno who is to be put to death for impersonating the pope.

So the story develops - Faustus is the guest at the tables of the figureheads of Europe where he further increases his reputation by bringing to life such people as Helen of Troy. He is introduced to the Seven Deadly sins - Pride, Covetousness, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, Sloth and Lechery.

After twenty four years of fame Faustus' time is drawing to a close and he cannot postpone the inevitable. Mephistopheles, Lucifer and Beelzebub appear to collect their payment - the soul of Faustus. At the midnight hour they open the gates of hell. Faustus tries to repent but it's too late and his implorations to God are halfhearted. The devils rip his body apart before casting it aside - it has no use for them - their only currency is the soul.

In the 3rd and 4th acts, Faustus seems to let go of his quest for knowledge (for the most part) and indulges in practical jokes of an evil nature. There are some who feel that the 3rd and 4th acts are way too silly and that they drag the play down.

The 5th act begins, and Faustus has one final chance to avoid his fate, but he resigns himself to damnation if he can 'enjoy' Helen of Troy. The devil always tempts us with sexual fantasies, mankind's ultimate weakness!

The final scene where Faustus realizes that it is too late and hell awaits, is a scene of pure terror almost unparalleled in literature. He moves from requests that cannot be granted to the most imaginative escapes. The play ends with an appropriate warning to stay behind the line of 'this far and no further.'

Christopher Marlow's life is a bit of a mystery. Some historians believe that he might have been a spy. Not surprisingly, one of the groups of people who Marlowe is rumored to have spied on were Catholics intent on overthrowing what they saw as England's Protestant government. The first thing Dr. Faustus does when he makes his famous bargain is to play a practical joke on the Pope.

Marlowe was killed in a bar fight over an unpaid bill, but it seems highly likely that he was murdered because he was a spy.

By his untimely death at 29 Christopher Marlowe had written this and other plays (including The Jew of Malta) which inspired a beginning William Shakespeare to sharpen his craft.

As regards this play, Marlowe was sort of the Pete Best of the era doing his version of the Hey Joe of the era. To continue musical metaphors he didn't invent but merely sampled the Faustus tale and in so doing gave it his own unique spin.

Though the version we have was not recorded until about a decade after Marlowe's death (and therefore shows signs of later adulterations by other writers) you can still observe the genuis of Marlowe at work. By likening his character to the Greek methological story of Dedalus, Marlowe imparts that sense of doom so connected with the potential arrogance of human ambition. As a reminder, Dedalus was affixed wings with wax by his father Icarus only to lose them and fall when Dedalus flew too high and had them melted by the light of the sun.

Similarly Faustus is -- in almost Christmas Carol type fashion -- visited by the personified seven deadly sins and Lucifer himself...itself then a unique device uniquely and effectively executed.

Throughout Marlowe makes us witness to Faustus' growing sense of doom at the irrevocability of his contract with Lucifer.

Sadly, to the modern reader much of the horror of his Faustian bargain is lost to us. For the most part, we moderns don't have the immediate fear of Lucifer that our forebears had. For us today, evil does not lurk in the shadows but is rather all too much before us as we proceed through our days and take note of current events.

Still the same the play was a landmark piece and an inspiration to Shakespeare who had before him an example of the genuis he had to compete with and the standard he had to maintain.

Tells the tale of the unfortunate Doctor John Faustus - who in return for 24 years of fame and fortune sells his soul to Lucifer. Faustus is a learned gentleman, his pride tells him that he can learn no more from books and the limit of knowledge that they contain. He needs to escape the bounds of the known world and so turns to the world of magic.

During one of his rituals he calls upon the underworld to aid him - Mephistopheles duly comes to Faustus' beckoning as any good demon would in their relentless search for souls (Europe happens to be Mephistopheles stomping ground); however Faustus, in his naive pride, believes that Mephistopheles is there as a result of his conjuering - demons are at his beck and call! Mephistopheles plays it whatever way Fautus wants it, to ensure capturing his soul. They strike a pact - 24 glorious years of fame and fortune for Faustus, with Mephisto as his servent, after which his soul belongs to Lucifer. To make the contract binding Faustus writes out the pact and signs in blood - Mephisto isn't taking any chances.

A number of scenes are depicted - the main one being at the Vatican. Faustus is invisible and steals food and wine from under the Pope's nose, followed by putting to sleep a couple of Cardinals and stealing their clothes, he frees Bruno who is to be put to death for impersonating the pope.

So the story develops - Faustus is the guest at the tables of the figureheads of Europe where he further increases his reputation by bringing to life such people as Helen of Troy. He is introduced to the Seven Deadly sins - Pride, Covetousness, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, Sloth & Lechery.

After Twenty and Four years of fame Faustus' time is drawing to a close and he cannot postpone the inevitable. Mephisto, Lucifer and Belzebub appear to collect their payment - the soul of Faustus. At the midnight hour they crack back the gates of hell to reveal his destiny - bodies on endless treadmills, unfortunates being thrown around on pitch forks, souls damned for eternity. Faustus tries to repent but it's too late and his implorations to God are halfhearted. The devils rip his body apart before casting it aside - it has no use for them - their only currency is the soul.

Recommended

If you saw "Shakespeare In Love," you know this was the play of Marlowe's that was getting so much attention. (For that matter, I found this play better than "Romeo and Juliet," even though "Romeo and Juliet" was to become the big play at the climactic moment.) Moving on, we meet Dr. Faustus, and he decides that the legitimate knowledge of this world is not good enough. So, he decides to cross the line of 'this far and no further' by making an unholy deal. It is interesting that even Mephistophilis (the unholy agent of the devil) is drawn as a figure of sorrow and even tries to warn Faustus about what he is getting himself into. But Faustus is unreceptive to the truth and ignores Mephistophilis's warning. In a scene of shocking horror, Faustus even mocks Mephistophilis for trying to warn him of the dangers involved: "Learn thou of Faustus manly fortitude" (1.3.85). Faustus makes an unholy pact and sells his soul for books that will offer knowledge beyond the point of 'this far and no further,' as well as significant magical powers. It is interesting that even after Faustus makes the pact, he is presented with several opportunities to escape his fate. But he can not give up the fruits of the pact. (His powers, having Mephistophilis at his command, etc.) Later, we see meet the 7 deadly sins. And Faustus's delight at them shows us his degeneration. In the 3rd and 4th acts, Faustus seems to let go of his quest for knowledge (for the most part) and indulges in practical jokes of an evil nature. There are some who feel that the 3rd and 4th acts are way too silly and that they drag the play down. But, I don't think this is the case at all. I can not help but think that Marlowe was emphasizing how worthless the fruits of the pact really were. (Nothing we could ask the devil for could equal the soul which Christ gave us.) Furthermore, in my opinion, we shouldn't be so surprised at Faustus's degeneration. He has made a pact with evil, and evil is basically degeneration through the service of one's self, depite how amoral and sick that service may be. It is our good side that encourages us to better ourselves, hopefully at least in part for the sake of others. The 5th act begins, and Faustus has one final chance to avoid his fate, but he resigns himself to damnation if he can 'enjoy' Helen of Troy. If I were a betting man, I would bet that Marlowe is emphasizing that sex often overrides our rational thoughts. (How many romance plays seem to defy reason?) The final scene where Faustus realizes that it is too late and hell awaits, is a scene of pure terror almost unparalled in literature. He moves from requests that can not be granted to the most imaginative escapes. The play ends with an appropriate warning to stay behind the line of 'this far and no further.'

What can I say? I love Shakespeare! Cliff's Complete is fabulous for those of us in a new love affair with Shakespeare. Commentary and side notes along the way make it very understandable. Kenneth Branaugh's film and BBC audio books lend subtle interpretation which is very helpful as well.

Twelfth Night or What You Will is the story of a brother and sister, twins, who are shipwrecked and each assume the other sibling has died. Viola, the sister, takes on her brother's appearance in order to serve the Duke of Illyria, Orsino. Disguised as a man, Viola falls in love with Orsino, but Orsino is in love with the countess Olivia and sends Viola in his stead to woo Olivia for himself. This is Shakespearean comedy, so naturally, Olivia falls in love with Viola, believing her to be a man. More confusion ensues when Viola's twin brother Sebastian enters the action of the play and is mistaken for the man his sister has been pretending to be.

Twelfth Night is an amusing, if somewhat formulaic, comedy that is both endearing at times and disturbing at others. It leaves the reading wondering what to think. More than likely, this is exactly what Mr. Shakespeare intended.

The Cambridge School Shakespeare edition of Twelfth Night is obviously geared towards students, particularly theater and drama students as opposed to literature students. The text of the play is shown on one page while the previous, facing page describes the action of the play in addition to suggesting exercises to ascertain how each particular section could be played. My favorite part about this edition is the inclusion of all the photos, especially the photos showing how different productions handled the same scene. Personally, I prefer more in depth discussion about Shakespeare's plays than this edition offers, but it is probably ideal for a high school student or theater student studying Shakespeare.

Many of you probably recall this as the play Shakespeare began to write at the end of "Shakespeare In Love." As far as the movie goes, Shakespeare was to write something where love triumphed after it failed in "Romeo and Juliet." This comedy is often hailed as one of Shakespeare's best comedies. But there are reasons I can not quite place it on the same level as "Comedy of Errors," "Taming of the Shrew," "Midsummer Night's Dream," or "As You Like It." We meet Orsino the duke who is love with Olivia. But Olivia chooses to avoid men. (She never quite got over the death of her brother and father.) We also meet Viola. She has survived a shipwreck but fears her brother Sebastian did not. Fearful of possibly being raped, she disguises herself as a man and enters Orsino's servant under the alias name Cesario. Shakespeare then introduces us to the characters of a subplot. (Maria, Toby, and Andrew.) They will plan a practical joke on Malvolio. Moving on, Orsino hires Viola/Cesario and asks him to woo Olivia on his behalf. And here we have irony both tragic and funny. Viola loves Orsino but must woo another woman on his behalf. And if as this was not difficult enough, Olivia falls in love with her! Later, we see that Viola's brother Sebastian has survived, and we meet Antonio. Antonio is wanted in the area for theft, but his touching loyalty will not allow him to dessert Sebastian. There is a comical scene where Orsino has a man to man talk with Viola/Cesario. Now we come to one problem I have with the play. Maria, Andrew, and Toby plan an over the top practical joke on Malvolio. Malvolio represents the Puritans. Shakespeare did not like Puritans because they opposed his theatre. But there is no denying that practical jokes and ridicule are lower forms of comedy than human misunderstandings such as in "Comedy of Errors." In "Taming of the Shrew," Katherine certainly draws some comments, BUT, if we understand her character, we can see that she really deserves our sympathy. Well, the conspiracy (with the help of a fake letter from Maria) makes Malvolio plan to woo Olivia in an absurd looking outfit. Olivia will think him mad, and he will be thrown in a dungeon to recover his mental health. Moving on, Andrew becomes jealous and wants to fight Viola. (Because Olivia likes her.) In a comical scene, Toby pretends to want peace, but forces the hands of both Andrew and Viola/Cesario. Now here is another major problem I have with the play. Antonio mistakes Viola for Sebastian and saves her. But he is wanted in the area, and the duke's officers arest him. Viola knows she has been mistaken for Sebastian and is happy her brother is alive. Now if she had any element of human decency, she would have indicated herself as a servant of the duke and protested Antonio's arrest. Or if this failed, any decent person would have followed Antonio to the Duke and tried to get Antonio released. Toby, Fabian, and Andrew all have a point when they rebuke her. I am not saying a hero or heroine can't have faults, but this extreme fault was sickening. Moving on, we have some "Comedy of Errors" nostalgia. Olivia mistakes Sebastian for Cesario, and of course there is no problem with this love. In the end scene, Viola and the Duke run into the captured Antonio. To be sure, Viola confesses he rescued her, BUT SHE STILL DOES NOT EVEN ASK THE DUKE TO RELEASE HIM. CERTAINLY, THE DUKE WOULD HAVE GRANTED THIS MERCY TO A MAN WHO HAD RESCUED SUCH A USEFUL SERVANT! The errors of the day are sorted out when Sebastian comes on the screen married to Olivia, and Viola is able to confess her love to Orsino who reciprocates. Shakespeare allows us to infer that Antonio will not be severely punished, and of course Malvolio comes in threatening to get revenge. Overall, it is a good play with intertwined plots, comedy, and enough tragic elemenets to make it plausible, but there are some flaws that prevent me from considering it one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies.

Last semester, I took a course on comedic drama in which the class read numerous classics of the genre. Twelfth Night was, in my opinion, pretty easily the best work that we read. While it's not necessarily Shakespeare's own best work, it is one of the true masterpieces of comedic literature, a work of surprising humor and depth.

The romantic plot is absurd, though of course, satisfying. In true comedic fashion, the play takes place is something of a fantasy world, with the laws of the world suspended. There is a chance for something divine to happen here, a chance for human masks to be torn away and for authentic connection to be made. Of course, something like that is what happens. Comedy (particularly that produced by the fool) pierces through the false barriers the people have build and allows for them to create for themselves a new life.

I think that's why I like the play so much. The farcical plot and the clever wordplay are delightful, but it's really that there is a subtle wisdom in this play that draws me irresistibly toward it. I think that you can read and reread Twelfth Night and always come away with a sense of something genuine.

This comedy written by William Shakespeare has a connotation which has a wide range of meaning. Who is sacrificed through out the play misunderstood as a person who has a hypocrite personalities and unacceptable disposition among the characters of Twelfth Night. In superficial level, we as a reader easy to reach the conclusion that he is a man who should be penalized, and not only characters within the Twelfth Night mocking at him but also the readers show sardonic response behaviors toward this eccentric behaviors after reading the Olivia's letter which is counterfeit. Thus, we consider the punishment that Malvolio received was something justified and axiomatically accepted one. However, that sort of view is not rightful judgement. We should aware that people who planned this clandestine of fake letter to make fun of Malvolio are truly an undiscovered villain. There's a lesson implied on the play that we as a human being should always pay attention to minors who overwhelmed by an unjust and huge mainstream.